Sunday 17 April 2016

Spartan Food

Poul Anderson wrote a few good descriptions of food, mainly banquets consumed by Nicholas van Rijn or meals prepared for Dominic Flandry by Chives, a sort of alien Jeeves. However, the main contributor to our food thread has been Anderson's successor, SM Stirling, who might also be responsible for these meals served in the Cock and Grill on Burke Avenue, Sparta City.

Margreta Talkins has:

a bowl of garden salad;
a wooden platter of spiced steak strips, pork loin, rockcrawler claw, mushrooms and fried onions;
wine.

The Serpentine Continent and islands have been terraformed and seeded with modified Terrestrial organisms but there is plentiful edible native sea life which is even exported to other colonized planets. In Welfare on Earth, Margreta had eaten:

starches;
synthetic protocarb;
bacteria-vat protein.

A party of soldiers and their dates consume:

five roast chicken;
six burrito platters;
seven home-fry orders;
ice-cream;
three sarsaparillas;
a carafe of red wine;
two half-liter steins of Pale Brewmaster.

Stirling, on this occasion collaborating with Jerry Pournelle, continues to feed his characters well.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Ha! Make banquets, not war, as Nicholas van Rijn might say? There is something to that idea!(Smiles)

I think a better comparison than Jeeves to Dominic Flandry's non human butler, chef, valet, pilot, spy, etc., Chives, would be Mr. Bunter, Lord Peter Wimsey's butler, chef, valet, etc., etc., whom we see in Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. Both Chives and Mr. Bunter, in their deliberately understated ways, VERY dangerous persons when it was necessary. Jeeves, by contrast, never NEEDED to be lethal!

Sean

Jim Baerg said...

Re: "bacteria-vat protein."

https://www.replanet.ngo/post/towards-a-farm-free-future-everything-you-need-to-know-about-fermenting
https://www.replanet.ngo/post/entire-world-s-protein-can-be-produced-on-an-area-of-land-smaller-than-london

I don't suppose there is any reason that couldn't be made into quite tasty sausages etc.
Anyone who likes meaty flavors but has ethical reservations about eating meat should welcome this.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Jim!

As long as those vegan cranks don't try to take away my REAL hot dogs!

Ad astra! Sean

Jim Baerg said...

I will note that those meals on Pournelle's Sparta don't sound at all 'Spartan' in the original sense. ;^)

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Jim!

Not in the least SPARTAN, in the original meaning! The old Spartans would probably prefer te Welfare Island stuff of Pournelle's Co-Dominium Earth.

Ad astra! Sean